Grading mechanism for potato harvesters



Mar. 6, 1923. I

W. T. TRAVIS ET AL GRADING-MECHANISM FOR POTATO HARVESTERS F11ed July22, 1921 5 shets-sheet 1 31 021 11'011 WT Trayzls, I 1? pa 1/315 Mar. 6,1923.

'w. T; TRAVIS ET AL GRADING MEGHANISMFOR POTATO HARVESTERS Filed July22, 1921 5 sheets-sheet 2 Mar. '6, w. T. TRAVIS ET AL GRADING MECHANISMPOTATO HARVESTERS Filed July 22, 1921 5 sheets-sheet 5 glvvuem $04;

Dal/is PJDaVzls Mar. 6, 1923. 1,447,911

W. T. TRAVIS ET AL GRADING MECHANISM FOR POTATO HARVESTERS Filed July22, 1921 5 sh ets-sheen 4 glwucnfoz WTDQ 1/1 a,

Mar. 6, 1923, 1,447,911

W. T. TRAVI S ET AL GRADING MECHANISM FOR POTATO HARVESTERS 5 Filed July22, 1921- 5 sheets-sheet 5 .Z' J 9 Z2 gnve nfoz WZTT Q en's,

PJDaVZ'S,

.Patented Mar. 6, 1923.

WILLIAM T. TRAVIS ANDBAUL alrnavrs org-ovs'rnn, v ner vm er researsfwees- 1' Original application filed August To (rZZ, whom it wmy,,c0nce1m v Be it known that We, VVILLIA T TR vIs and PAUL J. TRAv1s,jcitzenso f theUn'ited States, residing at Oyster, invth e cpunty ofNorthampton and State; of l/Tirginia, have, invented certain newtanduseful Improve.-v ments in Grading Mechanism for Potato.

Harvesters; and We; dovhereby declare; the following to be at full,clear, and exact description of the'invention,'suchas,will enable othersskilled" in the art ton which appertains' toinake and use the same.

This invention relates to new" and useful improvements inpotatoharvesters being a division or" our application filecLAugust 26th;1920 and serially numbered 496227 and has for its primary objecttheprovision of a gradingmechanis n operating'inl conjunction with: adigger and a. cleaneii for separating the potatoes after being,cleanedinto several sizes and to deliver said pota toes into separatereceptacleslor containers. With these and other objects in view as willbecome moreapparent asthe description proceeds, the invention consists.in certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangementof'parts 'as will be hereinafter more claimed.

For a complete understanding of my in vo'ntion, reference is to behadtothe f0llOW- ing description and accompanying drawings, in Which; 1Figure l, is a top plan view illustmting a grading mechanism fora potatoharvester constrdcted inaccordance with; my invention, i 1 i Figure 2 isa fragmentary side elevation partly in section illustrating the gradingmechanism, 3 l

Figurefi is a sectional view illustrating is a fragmentary endqelevationchute between the cleaner-and fragmentary transverse, secticnalluctratingthe; potatodischarge, v' w Figures 6 and 7 aredetail views,illustrating the gradingapronsf Referring in detail :tothe drawings, thenumeral 1 ind-icatesj a supporting frame mounted upon front and rearWheels 2 and 3 and the former Wheels are so connected to the frame thattheyiare capable ofPturning about a vertical ax-is i.'or.."tl1e?puiipose of fully? described and travel 76v 26 1920,.1SerialNo, 405,227. :Dividedv andvtliiswaplilication filed Ju1y..22,."192:l.-Serial-.1176; 485,84t4;

steering. The, frame 1 extends l rearwardly ,oftherear wheelsfi for the,purpose of providing. a platform 4: on which. the operator may stand;platform. 4 is equipped with a; vine receiving opening 5 for the purposeof permittingvines of potatoes dis-- charge c lfrom theharvester; tofall onto the groundorv-if desired may be collected in a suitablereceptacle (not shown) placed under the.opening 5.,

l A i p Wardlyand. re-arvva 'dlyv inclined conveyor Gris: located. atonelside of the,

same; i and? ss c e w ward end-a digger sf adapted. to remove De ai es:- e m the g ou d on t e w r motion of the machine, and deposit the l;po-

tatoes. with their vines; onto the; conveyor 6 whence they are carriedrearvvardlyi andxdeposited onto a 1-transverse;conveyor:'8. A mainvineconveyor 6 is disposed over the CQILYQYOI': 6 to carry-thevines.rear-Wardly and is provided atiitsrear. end'with a: cutterbar 9;? to!separate the potatoes from the vines and the'potatoes fall onto atransverse: convey or8 andthe vines are; caught by an upwardlyj andrearwardly inclined conveyor 9 and deposited into the opening-v5 of theplat I "form 4 permitting jthem tol accumulate ithin a receptacle ifoneiis usedfior to fallonto the ground ifino receptacle is provided. IThe conveyor 6 during its; rotation is "given a. vibratory motion bymeans of vibrating rollers 9 carried by thejframel so asvt'o' loosen theI dint fro nthevpotatoesand also to c-ause said Dotatoesto becomeseparated from the :vines.

The potatoes are deposited' ;-.intoa cleaner10.

which inclinesiupwardly andt forwardly on the frainealan'clythelcleaner; consists of an endless conveyor; 11-- provided with"flights 12-. The potatoes traveling -'with the -con veyor 11 becomeseparatefrom the dirt that 'niay be adheringthereto and the dirt fallsthrough the; conveyor onto the ground and i the potatoes:a-nedepositedinto a transverse Chlltli-lig. Theco'nveyorrll consists of apluralityofrrelative spaced; endless chains con- Ac grading-device; 14is. mounted on the frame" 1: adjacent to the cleaner 10" and; res

ceivesltlieg aotatoesfrom the transver'se chute l t v 513". v Thezgrader1 4: includesside Walls15 in which areimouiite'di endless aprons 1.6 and17 and the latter pass over rollers 18. The

eaprons include: endless sp'rocltet: chains. 18

sprocket! Wheels" 19"and have T seeurediitheretoafspacedtrade- Theirods1 chain 20 and one of said shafts is drivenv tatoes fall through ontothe apron 17. The

smallest size potatoes fall through the apron 17 and the intermediatesize of potatoes are carried rearwardly by said apron 17. The shaftsthat support the sprocket wheels are connected together by an endlesssprocket from a power shaft 20 by an endless sprocket chain 21'. Thepower shaft 20 also drives the cleaner and the conveyor by suitablegearing and sprocket chains and the power shaft receives its rotationfrom a power source 21, located upon the frame 1. The

apron 16 is of a larger mesh than the apron connection with the'accompanyin 17 so that the largest size potatoes are carried forward bythe apron 16 and deposited in a chute'22 while the smaller size potatoesfall through the apron 16 onto the apron 17. 'The intermediate sizepotatoes are carried forward by the apron 17 and deposited into a chute23 while the; smallest size potatoes fall through the apron 17 onto. acollecting board or pan2twhich leads to a chute .25. The chute 25 mayhave associated therewith a receptacle for receiving thesmallest sizepotatoes. Thelargestsize potatoes are received by the chute 22 and 'maybe de- The intermediate size potatoes are received by the chute 23 andposited into a receptacle.

deposited onto a conveyor 26 which carries the potatoes to a chute 27located adjacent the chute 22 and over the platform whence they may bedeposited into a receptacle. The

' pan or board 24 may be constructed froma series of relatively spacedrods for the purpose of permitting the dirt that may Stllladhere to thepotatoes and during the movement of the potatoes over the board to be Isubstantially the same length as and relatively close to the lower run'of the second come separated from the potatoes and fall 1' onto theground.

The chute 22 has'arranged therein a manually controlled gate 28 and isprovided with a double discharge end so that the potatoes can bedirected to pass out of one of the dis charge ends and then. the other.

From the foregoing description taken in it will be noted thatafter theaotatoes hat i been dug from the ground and sep arated from the vinesand also the dirt, that they may be gradedinto several sizes anddischarged to different receptacles which ,may be in the form of'sacksor any other i type of container for shipment, and obviates thenecessity of'r'nanually as'sorting the potatoes after they have been dugand separated from their vines.

The side boards of the grading device are provided with rollers 29 whichthe aprons engage for. cooperating with the rollers 18 in istanding endsecured to the front pair o drawof parts may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described our invention what we claim is A grading mechanismhaving spaced upstanding inclined walls, a front pair and a rear pairof'frame members supporting said walls and arranged with the pairsadjacent opposite ends thereof, rollers spanning said. side walls,rollers spanning 11 1161321118 ot frame members, a shaft journaled insaid side walls having a sprocket wheel thereon, anendless grading aprontraversing said rollers and Sprocket wheel, a discharge chuteintermediate the side walls and at the rear of the apron, the apronbeing trained to travel downwardly and forwardly after dis charging itscontents into said chute, an endless grading apron of finer mesh thanand completely enclosed by said first mentioned grading apron, rollersspanning said sidewalls and front pair of frame members,

a shaft spanning the said side walls and. having a sprocket wheelthereon, said second.

grading apron passing over the second mentioned rollers and saidmentioned sprocket wheel, the rear end of the second grading apronterminating short of the adjacent run of the tirst grading apron, achute below the rear end of the second grading apron secured to the rearpair of frame members and to the lower edge portions of said sidemembers and disposed below said side members, a pan within the secondmentioned apron of mentioned apron, said pan being secured at its rearend portion intermediate said side walls and'at its front end portionextending below said side wall and barring an upstandsaid frame members,the second mentioned apron passing between one of id rollers and the panto maintain the second mentioned apron relatively close to the undersurface of the pan so that it will constitute a guide for the secondmentioned apron. and

11165111S 0I)]21l 7l to drive said shall.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures 1n presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAlVl T. TRAVIS. PAUL J. TRAVIS.

Witnesses OTHOF. MEARS, "BENJZ. W. MEAns.

